Scientists Create Glow-in-the-Dark Pigs Just in Time for Your Next Rave

Before you break out your favorite EDM song, just consider this: these glow-in-the-dark pigs were created in the name of science.

In an effort to further study human-genetic disorders, scientists in southern China injected pig embryos with fluorescent jellyfish DNA; when these 10 piglets are put under a black light, they emanate an eerie green glow. This successful integration of genetic material into the animal’s natural makeup, made possible through a technique developed by reproductive scientists at the University of Hawaii, could be instrumental in creating more cost-efficient and effective treatments for disorders like hemophilia.

“[For] patients who suffer from hemophilia — and they need the blood-clotting enzymes in their blood — we can make those enzymes a lot cheaper in animals rather than a factory that will cost millions of dollars to build,” explains scientist Stefan Moisyadi, of the Institute for Biogenesis Research at the University of Hawaii.

These light-up piggies aren’t alone; previous experiments produced glow-in-the dark bunnies in Turkey. Similar efforts are under way with sheep.

While it seems like the experiment merely turned an animal that’s universally acknowledged as adorable into something that’s slightly terrifying, scientists say these luminous swines share a similar life span with unaffected pigs.

And if those squeals sound-tracking this video don’t sound happy, you’re not alone. Scientists say they’re probably just afraid of the dark. Glow-in-the-dark piglets, they’re just like us!

Before you break out your favorite EDM song, just consider this: these glow-in-the-dark pigs were created in the name of science.

In an effort to further study human-genetic disorders, scientists in southern China injected pig embryos with fluorescent jellyfish DNA; when these 10 piglets are put under a black light, they emanate an eerie green glow. This successful integration of genetic material into the animal’s natural makeup, made possible through a technique developed by reproductive scientists at the University of Hawaii, could be instrumental in creating more cost-efficient and effective treatments for disorders like hemophilia.

“[For] patients who suffer from hemophilia — and they need the blood-clotting enzymes in their blood — we can make those enzymes a lot cheaper in animals rather than a factory that will cost millions of dollars to build,” explains scientist Stefan Moisyadi, of the Institute for Biogenesis Research at the University of Hawaii.

These light-up piggies aren’t alone; previous experiments produced glow-in-the dark bunnies in Turkey. Similar efforts are under way with sheep.

While it seems like the experiment merely turned an animal that’s universally acknowledged as adorable into something that’s slightly terrifying, scientists say these luminous swines share a similar life span with unaffected pigs.

And if those squeals sound-tracking this video don’t sound happy, you’re not alone. Scientists say they’re probably just afraid of the dark. Glow-in-the-dark piglets, they’re just like us!